Wave dynamics in topographically-complex coastal reef systems

热带珊瑚礁和温带岩礁是澳大利亚海岸线的丰富特色，但相对于海滩等其他沿海环境，对它们的流体动力学（波浪、水流和水位）知之甚少。该项目将通过建立一个将实验室和现场测量与数值模拟相结合的国际研究方案，阐明波浪与陡峭的斜坡和大的底部粗糙度的珊瑚礁相互作用时的复杂的水动力过程。通过这个项目，对珊瑚礁水动力学的过程理解得到了改善，这将大大提高我们预测极端事件（例如风暴和海啸）和气候变化对国内外海岸的影响的能力。

Both tropical coral and temperate rocky reefs are abundant features of Australia's coastline, yet their hydrodynamics (waves, currents and water levels) are poorly understood relative to other coastal environments such as beaches. This project will elucidate the complex hydrodynamic processes when waves interact with the steep-slopes and large bottom roughness of reefs, by establishing an international research program combining laboratory and field measurements with numerical modelling. The improved process-understanding of reef hydrodynamics developed through this project will lead to significant advances in our ability to predict the impacts of extreme events (for example, storms and tsunamis) and climate change on coasts, both here and abroad.